Sports Test FAQ

Sports Test FAQ

No! We work with individuals of all fitness levels. If you are new to cycling, or returning to exercise after a long lay off, we would suggest you have been doing some form of exercise 2 to 4 times per week for around 4-6 weeks before coming to see us. That way you well get far more from your session with us.

Yes, and a whole host of other very valuable information, including maximal heart rate, and peak power output. What’s more, we will explain how this information can be used to improve your training and fitness.

Yes. This is the real value of your Sports test. The physiological measurements we take are used to firstly determine the strengths and weaknesses in your fitness, and also to determine training zones, that are unique to yourself. Further, we are able to use this information to develop you a personalised training plan.

Yes, we need you to ride your own bike. The ergometer we use let’s us see how you perform on your bike. We feel this is better for you, as it lets us see you in the position you are used to ride in. Putting you on a standard laboratory ergometer (like a Wattbike) can often result in you not being in the exact same position as you are used to riding in, and impact your results in a negative way.

There are some (minor) limitations on the bike you can ride. Please be aware you need smooth (road) tyres, and the testing rig cannot accommodate bikes with any form of

suspension. Also if you have Di2 with an external battery pack mounted under the bottom bracket, we may not be able to securely mount your bike. We do not need you to bring your own heart rate monitor, but if you do have one, and want to record your own heart rate for your records, this is not a problem. If you do use a power meter, it can be really valuable to your ongoing training if you remember to bring the head unit with you. This allows us to compare the output from your power meter to the laboratory system and accurately provide power based training zones.

Yes indeed. We have a significant number of clients who are still active in sports participation right up to the age of 70! If you have any pre-disposed medical conditions,

we may need you to come for a Sports test Medical, rather than just a regular sports test. If you are in any doubt, please contact us in advance. Many of our older clients were active athletes in their younger days, and it is not uncommon for us to be told how valuable the training information we provided was, and they wish they had known about the information we can provide when they were younger. Many now are even performing at higher level in their older years as a result!!

We generally have a minimum age of 18. If you are younger than that, you should be enjoying your exercise, rather than training in too much of a focused manner. That said, if you are 16 or older and a regional level athlete we would be prepared to help you, but only after discussion with your parents.